An Ancestral Journey through the winds of time planting seeds in Harrison and Grimes County Texas

Monday, October 7, 2013

Lucky Me, Lucky You, Lucky As Can Be!

I attended
an event sponsored by the PBS Station in Arizona along with the Arizona Informant
and others that showcased African
Americans: Many Rivers to Cross soon
to be released in a six part series October 22 2013.

I was
fortunate to win in a raffle the two discs set by the same name, and as soon as
it is ready I will receive it in the mail.

I posted on
Face book what a good time I had. One of the comments I got was from Selma,
a genealogy friend of mine via AfriGeneas, the mother of all the African American Genealogy sites. She said,” Lucky you Vicky." !

I do agree with Selma, mainly because the luck I have been having lately is making it to the little room down the hall in
time and my past track feats kicked in at an older age. I am blessed though that I am
getting up each and every morning. Thanks to God that I am wide eyed the entire
day.

Selma got me
to thinking about " Lucky You"; I don’t know any You’s or Youse’s but I sure know some Lucky’s, Luckey’s and
Luckie’s.

In Phoenix I
knew Charles Luckie, Gloria Lucky, and David Luckey

I went to
school and also worked with David at Western Electric.

All three of
these people may have known each other and all three surnames were spelled
different from each other.

I even have
some lucky numbers; 123….635….524 and on and on and on. I just wish they would
get lucky one of these days on the Pick 3

I am lucky
to have forged long time friendships, some sight unseen, like Selma who
unselfishly gives her genealogy wisdom to others and to Valencia King Nelson
who is the rock of AfriGeneas.Not to mention
Arthur Thomas and Angela Walton Raji who I have met, and did not run in the
other direction when they saw me grinning.

For the jazz
enthusiast back in the swing era days, Lucky and his Mills Blue Rhythm Band
entertained all over Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He was the toast of clubs like
The Cotton Club and the Savoy. Joining up with the likes of Ella the
great Fitzgerald , Bill Doggett and Dizzy Gillespie and others.

He later moved towards what they called Rhythm and Blues. A couple of his songs were Shorty's Got to Go, Sweet Slumber and Waiting Just for you.

Oh, did I
mention he was born in Anniston, Alabama in 1910 as Luscious
Leroy Millander.

Luscious and Lucky! Now how lucky is that combination. Judging by his picture he was quite a good looking man.

My thought triggered by Selma:

In my
research I came across a Lucky Singleton who was from Marshall Texas and lived
not that far from my Ancestors. Lucky had a son Major Singleton who lived here
in Phoenix and who also had a son he surely named after his father. Unfortunately
Major’s son passed away at the age of 15.

Then there
was a Lucky Singleton Jr who married a Roberta Choyce from Marshall Texas.

here is the excerpt of Lucky Jr and Roberta Singleton

Lucky, the senior’s un - lucky trip:

Lucky, the
Senior, wife and a few of his family
members and neighbors heard about a plan
to go to Liberia for a fee of ten dollars down for each person and the rest
within six months after arriving.

According to the Sunday Edition on February 8th
1880, The New York Daily Tribune had an article stating that a group of twenty
one people arrived in New York.

Among this group was lucky, his wife and two
children, Augustus Singleton, Willie Daniels, Lemuel Manyweather, his wife and
child, Lawson Silas, his wife and two children, and Thomas Larkins along with
his wife and six children.

Thomas Larkins actually got the idea of going to
Liberia from his brother in law, a chap by the name of Mathews. He had been in Liberia over two years and
sent glowing reports home and suggested that they take the trip as well. They were surprised when they got to New York that the person who was to have engineered the way from there was nowhere to be found.

They ended up
asking for assistance from the Charities of Commissioners and Charities who sent them to
the King County Alms House as paupers of the state.

They were very poorly nourished and without funds to take care of themselves.

What terrible luck they were having:

Larkins
daughter was left in New Jersey because she had given birth and needed care. Larkins wife
died of Pneumonia after they reached the Alms house.

They were described as from the south, truthful but unsophisticated

Harrison
County Texas must have been a hot bed for emigrating to Liberia. Mathews has
another brother who is very instrumental in recruiting people from there.
Another group of thirty was supposed to leave from Marshall at the end of February
1880 and another contingent in March of the same year.

Even though
they told the reporter that they had no complaints from bad treatment from
whites or lack of work, I find that hard to believe, especially in 1880.

They stated
that Liberia was the Promised Land for them and others and wished for a new life in a new home.

After much
ado and facts as the folks at the Alms House had given them, the party with
much hesitation decided to return back to Marshall. The article does not say
when lucky and his family returned to Marshall but they all were assured help
getting back home instead of help to Liberia.

Lucky and his family made it back home to Texas where he and his family were seen listed in the 1900 census.

I can imagine for those who research and can’t find their families around this time, chances are, they may have been some of those who actually made it to what they called their promise land.

I would hope that Lucky, Mr Larkins and family found their true niche in Marshall Texas and perhaps they even knew my family.

8 comments:

How interesting that you write about this! I have a cousin in California who also had ancestors who left north Texas going down to Galveston to leave for Liberia. They however were caught in a deadly hurricane and perished. The incidence of folks leaving for Liberia was more widespread than we know. After 100+ years it is time to tell that story as well.

Maybe that's where your missing person is! I'm sorry for that un-Lucky Lucky family that you mention last. You just can't be so trusting, that's what I'm taking away from these last few posts. Watch your back because "they" are out to get you.

Ms. Vicky, I have been looking for my family since 2002, I have heard the story that they went back to Africa but wasn't for sure, now I know thanks to you, this has been my road block since starting this research, All the people listed on the article are all my family, Daniels, Minneweather (Manyweather), Singleton and you are my cuzn on both sides (Double Kin)from Minneweather/Singleton and Lester's/Burks....Vickey I am still looking for Augustus and Lucky's father Abram singleton, he left with them, but the story is he perished in transit coming back or leaving, not sure, can you tell me where I can read this in it's entirety....You are a "Remarkable woman, I heard so much about you...please thank you so much for this as it is chipping away at that wall...sincerely Pam Singleton